This new casebook, the most comprehensive ever written about the subject, is sure to be a hit with both students
and instructors. Unlike previous works, which have treated aviation law as a narrow and technical specialty, this
text is driven by a broad and unique vision. Through the use of contemporary cases, extensive notes, intriguing
problems, and frequent references to popular culture, it is the first to make clear just how large a role aviation
plays in everyday life and explain why all lawyers can profit from having at least a passing familiarity with the
field.
The text--fresh and crisply written--is organized into six chapters that can be taught as sequenced or in an instructor's
preferred order. After an introductory chapter that explains the principles of flight, identifies the sources of
aviation law, and reflects on the ethical challenges faced by aviation practitioners, the book proceeds to look
at the legal issues surrounding aircraft, airmen (pilots, mechanics, flight attendants), airlines (both passenger
and cargo), and airports.
Inside the book users will find 112 principal readings, 168 notes, 25 problems, and 30 appendices. The principal
readings are drawn from a rich variety of sources, including cases, law review and bar journal articles, newspaper
reports, and legislative and executive pronouncements. The notes both expand on the principal readings and provide
commentary on additional issues and subjects. The problems, one for each section, allow students to quickly determine
if they have successfully mastered the materials they have just read. And the appendices reproduce the most important
air treaties--from Paris (1919) and Warsaw (1929) to Montreal (1999) and Cape Town (2001)--thereby further increasing
the book's utility and flexibility (while obviating the need for students to purchase and carry with them a separate
statutory supplement).
A particularly distinguishing feature of the book is its focus on the social history of aviation. Thus, sprinkled
liberally throughout the notes are references to the men and women who have become part of aviation lore, including
the Wright Brothers, Charles Lindbergh, Amelia Earhart, Howard Hughes, Chuck Yeager, D.B. Cooper, and Jessica Dubroff.
Also covered are notable historical incidents, such as the 1948 Berlin Airlift, the 1960 U-2 spy plane crisis,
the 1976 Entebbe Airport raid, and the 1983 U.S.S.R. shoot-down of a civilian airliner. As one would expect, special
attention is paid to 9/11 and its aftermath--from the renaming of Newark International Airport to the numerous changes
that have been made in boarding procedures to the dispute over how to compensate the victims and their families.
The notes also draw heavily from popular culture. Thus, students learn not only from treaties, cases, and statutes,
but from such varied and fun fare as Erica Jong's Fear of Flying, Donald Trump's The Apprentice, and that TV show
"about nothing" (Seinfeld). As a result, students are far more likely to come to class prepared, excited,
and eager to participate.